Introduction to York Theatre Royal
York Theatre Royal Education department are committed to inspiring and
nurturing interest and enthusiasm in the performing arts sector. We seek to
raise self confidence and the development of social skills, stimulating young
people to find their position and voice within society.
We work specifically with young people and their families, teachers and
targeted community groups to develop their knowledge and skills in both
theatre making and theatre going.
In addition, we work comprehensively throughout the York area to forge
close partnerships with schools and colleges, offering activities, workshops
and projects to teachers and students alike. Our experienced and
dedicated educational practitioners work directly with teachers to create
motivating and thought provoking programs, with an accessible, informative and fun working process
within an inclusive atmosphere of trust and respect.
In addition to these programs York Theatre Royal has developed a focused Partnership with Education
and Theatre (PET Project) run in conjunction with City of York Council which works with six schools
(primary and secondary) every year to facilitate creative learning across all curriculum subjects. By
allowing students to see the curriculum in action students can relate subjects they are studying to their
practical use in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;real worldâ&#x20AC;? as solutions to our work.
If you would like any additional information on our Education department, please contact Jessica Fisher,
Education Administrator, 01904 550155, education@yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

3

The Teacher Resource Pack
• This Education Pack is intended as a resource purposefully designed to accompany the production of
Death of a Salesman, aiming to provide a key insight into the workings of the production, the creative
rehearsal process and theatrical techniques employed.
• In addition, there are some key notes on the historical, social and cultural backgrounds of the text
together with key themes and character profiles, in the hope that this will encourage a practical and
critical engagement with the play and the writer alongside and beyond the production.
• The pack also includes both pre and post performance workshop plans which, although drama
based, are a valuable resource for teachers of English, Drama and Citizenship. Please feel free to use
the workshops in a way that best suits your needs. The layout of this resource pack is intended for ease
of photocopying, so feel free to use as you wish.
• This pack is geared towards pupils of a Key Stage 4 level and above with suggested questions
throughout to challenge your students and to further engage them with the themes and approaches to
the play.

Resource pack written by:
Sarah Newbold
York Theatre Royal
In Collaboration with The Central School of Speech and Drama

4

First Day of Rehearsals
06. 10. 08
We all assemble at York Theatre Royals main rehearsal room at Walmgate, where the stage
management team has already marked up the floor with tape to define the acting area of the stage the
cast will be performing on. Some of the actors are new to working at our theatre, some know each
other, some met each other at the audition stage, and some are meeting for the first time, there is
some nervousness but also an air of eager anticipation.
Susan Sterne, the Voice Coach, is introduced – she will be working with the cast to
develop convincing New York accents – she points out that Mitzi Thaddeus, who
is playing The Woman and Miss Forsythe, is going to end up being everyone’s
best friend as she is from New York and so clearly has an authentic accent.
Damian then goes through the play, splitting it into scenes - in the published text
the only demarcation is Act 1 and Act 2. He emphasizes that this is not a way of
understanding the play, as there should be no sense of it stopping and starting:
the play is clearly a play of two halves. He explains that this is just for rehearsal
purposes, so that rehearsal calls are clear, the scene breakdown is simply
indicative of who’s on stage.
Damian then gets the cast to sit in circle of chairs that has been laid out in the room so that they can do
a read-through of the play. In the middle is a swivel chair which is for George Costigan to sit in Damian explains that this will allow Willy to connect with whoever he is in a scene with, no matter
where they are sitting. There are more chairs in the circle than actors, and Damian encourages the cast
to move, change seats and change groupings as necessary - he explains that this is just to get a sense
of the play being a physical piece from the very outset – it is not just words.
The actors read the play, making good use of extra chairs,
moving and creating groupings that begin the process of
connections that will need to be made over the course of
rehearsals. The read-through is electric - the later scenes
between George Costigan (playing Willy) and Joseph Rye (playing
Biff) are particularly moving and intense even at this stage everybody feels it, and the sense of excitement and anticipation
grows. The first day of rehearsals draws to a close, and a highly
successful start on this world famous play has been made, and
the company embarks on the journey of discovering this
extraordinary piece of theatre.

5

The Playwright
Arthur Miller (1915-2005)
“The plays are my autobiography. I can’t write plays that don’t sum up where I
am. I’m in all of them. I don’t know how else to go about writing.” (Bigsby
1997:5)
Arthur Miller was born to moderately affluent Jewish-American parents in New York
City in 1915. He grew up in the midst of the American Depression: the economic crisis
of the 1930’s where many enterprises went bankrupt, including his father’s ladies
wear business, which deeply affected his family and put great financial strains on
his family.
The Depression nearly ended his plans for education, but he earned his way with a number of small
jobs to attend Michigan University with a reputably radical campus. His radicalism poured through into
a series of student plays, two of which won and another was runner up for the annual Hopwood
Award. Miller knew little about theatre but was enticed by the way in which you could speak directly to
an audience.
He graduated in 1934 and briefly joined the Federal Theatre, a nationwide organization designed to
give work to unemployed writers, actors, directors and designers.
During the Second World War, he moved to New York where he began writing plays. All My Sons was
produced in 1947 and ran for 328 performances. Death of a Salesman (which took Miller 6 weeks to
complete a finished script) was performed in 1949, ran for 742 performances and won the Pulitzer
Prize. With this success Arthur Miller was established as a playwright.
His audience however, did start to disappear. Senator Joseph McCarthy was the leading force in the
campaign during the 1950’s to bring to light any Communists who existed in America. In 1957, Miller
was brought before the congressional committee which investigated ‘un-American activities’ or
communism. He refused to name anyone who uttered left-wing sympathies and was convicted of
contempt of congress and blacklisted by hollywood. He did confess to toying with Communist ideas,
but did not believe that they endangered the integrity of creative artists. His audience, however, edged
away and An Enemy of the People only ran for 36 performances. The press respected him for his calm
and composed manner under interrogation and his conviction was overturned under the following year
by the Supreme Court.
Arthur Miller’s career continued and his standing as one of America’s greatest playwrights has been
consolidated and for a percentage of people Death of a Salesman remains his most unforgettable
piece of work.
As at the beginning of his career, he remained dedicated to theatre right up until his death in 2005, he
believed that theatre could change people – not in the direct sense of the word, but he believed that he
had “given up the idea objectively that anything I write was going to get anybody elected. But I do think
that in a very small way, probably historically of no importance, what one writes can change people in
the sense that if gives them a new idea of themselves…you will shift the consciousness of a certain
number of people.” (Bigsby 1997:60)

In what ways do you think Miller was influenced by living through these times? How is Miller reflected in
his characters?
6

Synopsis
“Death of a Salesman, Miller has said, is a ‘love story’ between a man and his son, and in a crazy
way between both of them and America.” (Bigsby 1992:86)

Act I
Initially, we are introduced to Willy Loman returning home, worn out, from an unsuccessful attempt at
driving to a business meeting. Linda, his wife, is worried and blames his inability to drive on his poor
health, whereas Willy confesses it is due to having strange thoughts. Linda urges Willy to contact
Howard Wagner (his boss) and ask for a transfer closer to home (in New York). The couple discuss
their sons Happy and Biff and Linda acknowledges how she enjoys the atmosphere they create in the
house. The sons overhear Willy downstairs reminiscing and apprehensively discuss how unusual his
behavior is. Willy’s memories reveal how he idealized Biff, taking great pride in his athletic
achievements and dismissing his weaknesses. His unfailing admiration towards Biff frequently ignores
Happy’s need for attention. Willy even goes so far as to justify Biff’s bad behavior when Linda and
Bernard (Biff’s friend next door) criticize him.
Willy boasts to Linda the amount he sold on his latest trip, but is quickly forced to admit to exaggerating,
as well as revealing to his wife his self-doubt over his appearance and abilities. Linda immediately
reassures him whilst we hear The Woman laughing whilst Willy continues to speak to his wife. The
Woman dominates the conversation as it is made clear that she is his lover. Linda begins to mend her
stockings which angers Willy as it is a guilty reminder of his betrayal. Happy hears Willy’s ramblings
and goes downstairs to find a very confused Willy talking of his dead brother Ben (similar to The
Woman, Ben is only ever seen by Willy) Happy surrenders trying to speak to him and leaves him to his
daydreaming.
Bernard’s father Charley who lives next-door overhears Willy and goes to visit him to have a game of
cards. Willy’s distress is evident when he addresses both Charley and Ben in conversation. Supportively,
Charley offers Willy a job, which is immediately refused. Willy ignores Charley and remembers Ben’s
visit where his brother told him of his great success. To try and compete, Willy shows off his sons and
encourages Biff to steal sand to rebuild the front step. Willy and Ben are highly amused by Linda and
Charley’s worries of Biff being caught. Willy is thrown back to reality by Linda when she stops him
leaving the house in his pajamas.
Biff and Happy come to investigate what is going on, and Linda tells them about their financial struggle
and how their Father has become so worried, he has been attempting suicide. Happy curses Willy, but
Willy’s optimism is heightened as he hears Biff vowing to find a job and stay at home. Happy suggests
that the brothers start a sporting goods line and they discuss asking Biff’s former boss Bill Oliver for
some financial backing.

Act II
The next morning, Willy is still optimistic and decides to ask his boss for a non-traveling job whilst
Happy and Biff arrange a family meal to celebrate the launch of their new business. Willy’ request is
unsuccessful, despite an emotional plea. Willy reminisces about when he was younger and refused the
opportunity to go to Alaska, because he was convinced that selling was the career for him. He also
remembers Dave Singleman who inspired Willy to become a salesman. Ben become s impatient and
fades, so Willy goes to see Charley.
Bernard is now a successful lawyer and father of two boys, Willy congratulates him and wonders why
Biff never succeeded. Bernard hints it could be connected to when Biff visited him in Boston. Willy
7

admits to Charley that he has been fired and Charley gives Willy some money and offers him a job, to
which he again refuses.

Biff tells Happy that he saw Bill briefly but didn’t speak as they wait in the restaurant for Willy, he also
realizes that he was never more than a shipping clerk for Bill. Biff recollects all the lies that his family
have told one another, Happy does not want to listen and so flirts with a girl and arranges a double
date. Later, Willy also refuses to listen to Biff, there is a call for Happy which interrupts them, sending
Willy to the washroom and his mind back to the past. Willy remembers Biff’s horror at finding him in the
hotel with The Woman in Boston and how soon after he gave up college. Happy and Biff leave their
father in the restaurant, leaving Stanley (the waiter) to ensure that Willy gets home.
Linda is awaiting the boys return and has pieced together the evening’s events. She wants them to
leave as they insist on tormenting Willy. Biff is adamant that he wishes to see his father and convinces
him that he does in fact love him. Willy is overjoyed and seeks Ben’s approval to his insurance scheme
that will pay Biff $20,000 if he dies. Convinced that his death will make Biff’s fortune, Willy kills himself.

Requiem
Happy is angered by his father’s death and refuses to admit that his own dreams of success were as
misguided as Willy’s were. Linda is both shattered and confused by his death as she always depended
on Willy’s dreams. Upon standing over his grave, Linda tells him that their mortgage on the house is
paid and that they are finally free for the first time. Charley and Biff seem to understand the suicide,
Charley recognizes Willy as a salesman in the truest sense of the word, whereas Biff forgives him and
surrenders any further belief in his father’s beliefs and can is now free to be himself.

8

Characters
Willy Loman (George Costigan)
“If Willy were merely a foolish character he would be unlikely to have
earned the respect that has been paid to him. On the other hand, he is not
clear sighted and does labour under delusions. He might be said to
represent humanity with all its virtues and vices.” (Page 2003: 86)
Willy Loman is a 61-year-old salesman living in Brooklyn with his wife and two
sons. Despite his age and the hardships that he has endured, he dreams of
having his own business. Willy lives by his faith in the American Dream, which
he never achieves, but his dreams, however misplaced they appear, have sustained him enough to
bring up his family. Willy is struggling financially, his work pays commission only and he is left
wondering how he going to afford the next bill. He has unrealistic ideas of his own and his families’
importance and seems egotistical when he claims his popularity with the clients. Despite this selfconfidence, he lacks self-awareness, he is confused and frightened. He wants to secure his personal
dignity, something that Miller relates to the depression bearing its mark on Willy. He perceives himself
as a failure; he is growing old, is less productive and truly regrets his unfaithfulness to his wife. By
nature, he is contradictory; there is a clear disparity between what he says and what he does. He is a
salesman and lives by his ability to engage and make people believe him; he focuses on personal
details over quantifiable measures of success believing that personality over figures garner success in
the business world. Willy refuses to face reality and so appears to be living in his own world failing to
distinguish between the past and the present. Nevertheless, many of Willy’s qualities are inspirational;
there is a sheer courage and nobility in Willy’s struggle – notably by his refusal to give up.

Biff Loman (Joseph Rye)
“Biff represents Willy’s vulnerable, poetic, tragic side.” (Barnes & Noble 2008)
Biff is Willy’s 34-year-old number one son. Biff led an enchanted school life, he
was the star of the football team, had scholarship prospects, good friends and
a following of admiring females. Biff adored his father, believed his stories and
accepted his philosophy on life – that a person will be successful, providing that
he is ‘well-liked.’ Biff never questioned Willy, even when he was doing wrong.
So unsurprisingly, Biff grew up disregarding social rules and expectations. Biff
perceived Willy as the perfect father, until he discovered his affair in Boston. Biff failed math and so did
not have enough credits to graduate, since then he has had 20/30 jobs every one of which he has
been dismissed from. He dreams of a life in Golden West (the frontier of civilisation, freedom and
opportunities) but in reality, he is lost and troubled. “I tell ya, Hap, I don’t know what the future is. I don’t
know what I’m supposed to want.” (Miller 2000:16) This indecisiveness and inability to settle causes
further tension between Biff and his father, but Biff has already rendered his father a ‘fake’ and
despises everything he is and represents, but Biff, being his son, has incorporated a few of Willy’s traits,
notably his tendency to exaggerate and manipulate reality to his favour.

9

Happy Loman (Kieran Hill)
“Happy represents Willy’s sense of self-importance, ambition, and blind
service to societal expectations.” (Barnes & Noble 2008)
Happy is Willy’s 32-year-old son, he lives in his own apartment in New York, but
during the course of the play he is staying with his parent’s. All throughout
childhood into adulthood, Happy has always been in Biff’s shadow, he has
always been Willy’s ‘second son,’ and has become motivated to acquire attention
from his family through showing off. He also tries to constantly be on Willy’s good
side and keep him happy, even if this does mean perpetuating the lies and illusions that Willy lives in.
Happy grew up listening to his father embellish the truth, so it is not surprising that he has acquired this
from him. Happy oozes confidence and finds seducing women easy, he believes that ‘respectable’
women cannot resist him (especially those engaged to his executives) and finds that having
relationships with women is a vengeful means of getting back at the men who have passed him on the
career ladder. He thrives on sexual gratification and the knowledge that he has ‘ruined’ so many
women. “I hate myself for it. Because I don’t want the girl, and, still, I take it and—I love it!” (Miller
2000:19) Happy is of a low moral character, he is always trying to find his way in life - even when he is
confident that he is on the right track. At the end of the play, he cannot see reality, and like his father is
adamant to continue in search of the dream.

Linda Loman (Eileen O’Brien)
In many ways Linda is the strongest character in the play, both emotionally and
through her perseverance in supporting her husband. She is loving and loyal,
acting submissively when appropriate and decisively when it matters. She is a
defender of everything that Willy stands for, yet at the same time she is extremely
aware of his nature. This puts Linda in an awkward situation, she knows that he is
irrational and difficult to deal with, yet goes along with his fantasies in order to
protect him from self-criticism and from criticism of others. Occasionally, Linda
appears to be taken in by Willy’s dreams for future success and glory, but at other
times retains a sense of realism. Despite everything she knows about Willy and what he is doing, she
does nothing to aggravate her husband. She supports his morale and protects him at all costs, loving
him and accepting all of his shortcomings. Linda is the negotiator of peace in the family, keeping the
family together and staying by Willy’s side until the end.

Bernard (Steven Kynman)
Bernard is Biff’s cautious and studious friend, he is not as sporty or strong as the
Loman brothers and Willy dismisses him as ’not well liked.’ In many ways, Bernard
possesses the opposite characteristics Biff is taught makes a man great. He helps
Biff academically; he is a successful student and later becomes a successful
lawyer. It feels almost as if Bernard partially fulfils the role of Biff’s dad or is present
to illustrate how successful Biff could have been without Willy’s influence. “Just
because he printed University of Virginia on his sneakers doesn’t mean they’ve got
to graduate him, Uncle Willy.” (Miller 2000:25) This illustrates how in tune Bernard is
with reality, in comparison to the other characters. Once again, this illustrates Bernard is the one of the
only characters in tune with reality. He cares for Biff and wants to see him graduate. As Bernard
matures, he retains a modest, responsible and law-abiding attitude towards life; he has become a
great man, without being well-liked or extremely handsome.

10

The Woman & Miss Forsythe (Mitzi Thaddeus)
The Woman is Willy’s out of town mistress, at first she makes Willy feel wanted,
almost like the salesman he imagines himself being. However, she is portrayed as
being rather cold and unemotional, merely seeing her encounter with Willy as
being “Good for me” (Miller 2000:30) Thus, indicating that she is there to have a
good time and benefit from the affair. She picks Willy as he makes her laugh, and
her laughter is heard many times throughout the play reminding us of the frivolity
and meaninglessness of what happened. Happy and Biff meet Miss Forsythe and
Letta at Frank’s Chop House and seems to be charmed by Happy’s humour. It is
suggested that they are prostitutes, although Miss Forsythe claims to be a cover
girl.

Charley (Jonanthan Jaynes)
Charley is Bernard’s father and is the closest person that Willy has to a friend. He is
content with his life, a successful businessman and is an example of how you make
a relative success of your own life. Like his son, Charley too lacks the skills Willy
associates with being masculine. He tries to make Willy face the reality of working
life and is shocked at Willy’s lack of respect for him, his ideals and his inability to
distinguish reality from fantasy. Charley becomes Willy’s sole financial support and
even offers Willy a job, to which Willy refuses on the basis of pride.

Ben (Kevin McGowan)
Ben is Willy’s brother and is a symbolic figment of Willy’s imagination. Ben is self
assured, rich and adventurous and Willy believes he is the epitome of all he
desires. Ben represents his idealist view of prosperity; he is symbolic of the
American Dream and of his competitive nature allowed him to succeed in a
capitalist society. Willy has imaginary conversations with Ben, where he continually
misleads Willy with his talk of grandeur success and illusions.

Howard Wagner (Phillip Langhorne)
Howard is Willy’s boss - a successful business man of 36, (not much older than
Willy’s sons) whose sole function in the play is to tell Willy that he longer has a job.
Howard represents what Willy can expect from the average member of the
business society, somebody without Charley’s kindness, he may symbolise the
nature of a capitalist society. Nevertheless, he is a reasonable man whom doesn’t
allow emotion to affect his decision. Even at the end of the scene, Howard should
not be judged too harshly; his motto being “business is business.”

Letta & Jenny (Sophie Abelson)
Letta is with Miss Forsythe when they meet Happy and Biff at Frank’s Chop House
and may be comparable to The Woman whom Willy meets in his hotel in Boston.
Jenny is Charley’s secretary.

11

The Historical–Political Context
The historical and political climate in which a character, and in many cases the playwright lives,
directly affects how they think and behave. In order to find out the reality of a character it is
important that we research the surrounding context of when Arthur Miller wrote this play.

Death of a Salesman was written and is set in 1948 America specifically in New York and Boston. 1948
was a time that saw significant changes in American politics, society and culture. In particular the
presidential election initiated a sense of mistrust in some American citizens, virtually every prediction
(with or without public opinion polls) indicated that republican Thomas Dewey would defeat Harry
Truman. This was not to be as Truman won the election and to this day it is still seen as being one of
the greatest election upsets in American history. In addition the events of the Cold War and the
economic crisis – the Depression of the 1930’s left their mark on American citizens. Businesses went
bankrupt thus sending individuals and families into financial strain.

Capitalism
“Capitalism as a political system depends on the continual encouragement of wants. People must
want more and buy more in order to fuel the economy and enable people to work to produce
these goods.” (Page 2003:103)
There was a rise of commercial consumerism during the depression that attempted to restore public
faith in industry and manufacture. Capitalism is a social system, where the means for producing and
distributing goods (such as land, factories, technology and transport) are owned by a small minority of
people (the capitalist class) The working class are paid to produce these goods, which are then sold for
a profit, which the capitalist class live off. The motive behind this is not to satisfy people’s needs with
these products, but to exploit the working class in order to reap the profits
Arthur Miller denies that this play is solely an attack on capitalism, but he is unfavorable towards a
system which “encourages people to want more goods, such as refrigerators, as if it is the ultimate
point of existence.” (Page 2003: 103) Therefore, gaining a deeper understanding of the capitalist context
in which this play was written, allows us to gain a deeper insight into Willy Loman’s plight of living
through the Great Depression of the 1930’s and the realization of American society not providing for its
citizens. We see how Willy Loman enthusiastically attacks consumer society frequently in this play, for
example: he argues that washing machines are internally programmed to break down as soon as you
have finished paying for them, even when “They [the washing machine company] got the biggest ads
of any of them!” (Miller 1976:27)

Some reviewers believe that the play is a criticism of capitalism and of the American way of life. Discuss
your reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with them.
How do you think that the Depression demonstrated to the playwright the fragility and vulnerability of
human existence in the modern era? How do you think that this was reflected in the production?

12

The American Dream
The American Dream is a belief in the freedom that allows all United States residents to achieve their
goals. Historian and writer James Truslow Adams coined the phrase "American Dream" in his 1931
book Epic of America:
“The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller
for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream
for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown
weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of
social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of
which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the
fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.” (Adams 1931)
In Death of a Salesman we see a number of characteristics that seem to define the myth of the
American Dream. Especially the principles that Willy seems to value: “initiative, hard work, family,
freedom, consumerism, economic salvation, competition, the frontier, self-sufficiency, publicrecognition, personal fulfillment” (Bigsby 1997:60) and many more, which seem to all animate the
American cultural poetic. America was seen as the land of opportunity so people were encouraged to
work hard in order to achieve the American Dream, failure to achieve this must then indicate a failure in
personality and not a failure in the system.
“It has often been said that what kept the United States from revolution in the depths of the Great
Depression was the readiness of Americans to blame themselves rather than the system for their
downfall” (Miller 1987:113)
This attitude is reflected in both Willy and Biff, who blame themselves for their lack of economic success
and popularity. In addition, the social attitudes that Willy displays frequently were very common at this
time of writing and thus were very relevant, Willy had fallen for the myth of the American Dream with his
unquestioning faith in capitalism which also occupied many people’s thoughts following World War
Two.

How does Arthur Miller depict the American Dream in Death of a Salesman?
It may be that Willy’s idealized view of The American Dream was a factor in Biff’s failure. Discuss both
why you agree or disagree with this claim.

13

The Social Context
The social and cultural ideologies that are occurring within the society a playwright writes may
also have had impact on the work s/he produces. Therefore, it is very important to research the
social and cultural context in which s/he writes.

The Family
One of the main elements of Death of a Salesman is the depiction and the vivid characterizations of the
roles of American family members. Traditionally, families begin with the father, and the Loman
household is no different. Nevertheless, in many ways he may appear insufficient in his role - preferring
to bow to the wishes of the working class society and values. In many ways Willy Loman may be seen
as just an ordinary man in society; a man who all other average men can identify with.
“It has been observed that the play is not entirely opposed to the American Dream, and in this
respect it might be seen as reshaping the conditions necessary for success, if there is a
contemporary ideology which Willy has absorbed, it is the belief in the family. The family is
essential to the American way of life.” (Page 2003:98)
The belief in the institution of families also has its roots in capitalism, in that the emphasis is on the
family being responsible for dependents – being responsible, this also meant families needed more
money. Willy still wishes to be responsible for Biff at an age where many fathers may have given up, he
believes that in work such as selling – family values such as love and respect can be united.
There also seems to be a stark contrast to how Willy treats his two sons – Biff and Happy. Historically, in
America and throughout the world, first-born sons have received advantages not available to younger
sons. Miller shows how Willy schemes and plans for the success of Biff, while Happy is mostly ignored.
This creates tension between Biff and Happy, because Happy is always seeking for the attention and
approval that Biff doesn't want to have.
It is important to look at the family and each characters role within the texts structure and
hierarchy.

How do you think the Loman family members deal with disappointment in each other, how do their
misunderstandings generate separation and how does gaining an insight into each other generate
understanding and acceptance?

Gender
Although Willy appears to have absorbed the ideology of the importance of families, there seems to be
an atmosphere that marginalizes Linda and all other women, they are seen as othered and placed at
the borders of a patriarchal world. This play was written before the upsurge of interest in sexual politics
and attitudes in 1949 and would have been more prevalent than they are today. In addition, women
seem to be further divided into two categories: Linda and Other. They seem to be either saintly like
Linda, or whores like the woman Willy had an affair with or the two women in the restaurant. Willy was
determined to make sure that the women concealed their existence. In some American states at this
period of time, adultery was illegal and Willy gives this as an excuse to make sure they remain in
silence.
14

“In his belief in the family, Willy also does not recognize that his vision is an essentially male one.
[…] In Death of a Salesman, the women have no role to play which is not dependent on men.
Linda’s function seems to comment on and support Willy. The Woman with whom Willy has an
affair is not characterized except in so far as she relates to him, and Harry and Biff’s two female
associates are thinly sketched in order further to exemplify the son’s characters. When Willy
considers suicide, he spares no thought at all for his wife…” (Page 2003:99)
Women are two dimensional in this play; they seem to have no thoughts or desires other than those
which pertain to the men. Even Linda the strongest female character in the play, is fixated on uniting her
husband with her sons, thus selflessly subordinating herself to assist them with their problems. “It may
appear that the women in the play seek men to define their existence and provide them with pleasure
and direction. Linda, despite her courage and determination, offers little in the way of personal views
on the events.” (Page 2003:99)
Like Willy, Happy too undermines the sanctity of marriage and his conversations with Biff highlight a
very sexist approach and indicate a clear lack of maturity. He “refers to seducing women as being like
bowling. It is easy to strike at immobile, senseless targets, and many of the women referred to seem
passive waiting only for men to come into their existence and claim them.” (Page 2003:99)

Death of a Salesman is a play that has very much been written and produced through the eyes of a
male, what does the play tell us about a woman’s role in society at this time and how has this been
illustrated through the female characters in the play?

15

Themes
Themes are usually the key idea or an underlying meaning in a literary work, sometimes a theme may
be stated explicitly or sometimes it may just be implied. In some works we have major themes – an
important idea that the playwright or author returns to many times, and in others we have just minor
themes that appear from time to time. A theme usually involves a statement of an opinion about the
main subject of the piece. There is a difference between the subject and the theme of a literary work,
the subject is what the author or playwright has chosen to write about and the theme expresses an
opinion or makes a statement about the subject. For example, in very simple terms, the subject of a
story might be crime, while the theme may be that crime is wrong.

What do you think that the main subject of Death of a Salesman is? What do you think some of the
themes are? Are they major or minor themes?

Man in society / Identity
Death of a Salesman addresses the loss of identity within a man in society, a man who cannot accept
change within himself or society – although at times Willy does acknowledge that he is discovering new
things about himself. Essentially, the play may be about identity and human nature, and a common
theme that runs throughout the play is that of the blurring between man and society and how we
cannot disentangle man from society, or society from man. Changes are being made all around Willy
for example, the advancement of technology. Willy Loman represents a man in America who is
struggling to move with the times, who is experiencing feelings of mistrust towards consumerism and
desperately trying to cling on to his old school values and the promise of the American Dream – the
idea that he is ‘well-liked’ and an attractive man will enable him to acquire the material possessions
and success promised in the American Dream.
What do you think that Willy Loman represents as an American at that time?

Reality vs. Illusion
There are many references in the play to the idea of reality and illusion, for example Willy’s fragile grip
on reality is illustrated in his imagined conversations with his dead brother and his denial and refusal to
admit to the truth and face reality. Willy is struggling in a capitalist world; he doesn’t own anything of
material value and his work as a salesman does not pay the bills. He is working on commission only at
the beginning of the play, and towards the end we see him lose his job. He develops the theory that his
personality will automatically guarantee him success, and this is a theory that all the characters
disillusion themselves with at some point during the play. In order for Willy to live by his ideals he has to
build a fictitious reality for himself that involves telling lies or exaggerating the truth for his own gain –
for example, he tells his sons how he can park anywhere in Boston and the police will look after it, and
also how vital he is to New England and to his clients. These exaggerations of the truth start to replace
reality in Willy’s mind When Biff found out about Willy’s unfaithfulness he starts to see his father as a
fake, he begins to see reality as it is and abandons his father’s dreams. As a result Willy’s life to start
falling apart around him, he has nothing to live for except his illusions and dreams of the past, before
this secret was unearthed.

16

Why do you think that Miller allows us to see Willy drifting from reality into illusion and what impact does
this have on the play?

Family, Betrayal and Abandonment
There are many frequent emotions that dominate this play; for example: those of guilt, innocence, truth
and lies are all explored through the lens of the family and the character’s role that they play in the
family.
Willy loves his family very much, but has become obsessed with raising the ‘perfect’ son which
highlights his inability to understand reality or to communicate and listen to his sons own dreams and
desires. In Willy’s mind, Biff is the embodiment of promise; he is attempting to live his life through Biff.
However, when Biff discovers the affair, he is very quick to abandon his father’s ambitions for him. In
Willy’s eyes this was abandonment, and we can chart Willy’s life throughout the play as being
punctuated by rejection after rejection, each time leaving Willy in a greater state of distress. Willy
becomes fearful of abandonment and this fuels his desire to make sure he and his family conforms to
the American Dream.
We can pinpoint Willy’s stages of abandonment throughout the following stages in the play:
•
•
•
•

His father left Willy and his brother Ben when they were very young leaving them no financial or
historical legacy on his departure. This made Willy determined that he was going to make sure he
left something for his sons.
Ben departed to Alaska, leaving Willy with a warped vision of the American Dream.
Willy was sacked from his job leaving Willy feeling unproductive, old and worthless.
Willy was at the stage in believing that Biff was almost ready to succeed but Biff got fed up with
his father not listening to what he had to say and he and his brother left Willy in the washroom.
This reflects Willy’s inability to sell on the American Dream, the one product that Willy believes in
wholeheartedly. Willy feels that Biff has betrayed him and his way of life whereas Biff feels that his
father is a fake and has betrayed him with his endless stream of lies.

As a director how would you present the relationship on stage between Willy, Biff and Happy to
illustrate the tension that lies between father and sons?
Daniel E. Schneider in Play of Dreams states that the play is really about a man and his sons. Do you
agree that the primary theme of Death of a Salesman is the conflict between father and son and
between first-born and second-born sons? Support your opinion.

Relevance to today’s society
Death of a Salesman is still a classic text and appears yearly on examination syllabuses, it also
continues to be programmed into theatres across the world. We can acknowledge why theatre-goers
continue to be moved in the same way that 1948 audiences were. For example, we can see how
ecologically Willy’s ravings about over population, builders chopping down trees in favor of office
buildings and blocks of flats still resonate for a 21st century audience. Economically, Willy struggles to
pay the mortgage and the bills that pass through the door far too frequently, this too resonates with
today’s audiences who are feeling financial pressures exacted upon them by an increasingly capitalist
17

or westernized world. Domestically, global audienceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still respond to the plays exploration of the family
unit and the relationships between the family members.

In what ways do you believe that Death of a Salesman highlights the collective mood anxieties of a
nation and illustrates how these affect the individual?

18

The director speaks...Damian Cruden
It’s been a very interesting process directing it…so far. A
lot of preparing to direct it. I think it is a play that you think
you know quite well but actually when you start to dig into
it, it’s full of avenues that you hadn’t realized existed
before in the play. There has been so much written and
said about it and so many opinions espoused about the
piece that it can sometimes be a little bit daunting
I think that where we’ve got to is the place where we have
an environment in which the story can be told very
truthfully, that’s what we’ve tried to do, to create a space
in which a group of actors can come together and get to
grips with what the play is really about and expose the narrative of that piece in a way that makes
sense, without trying to impose something that doesn’t belong to it.
Originally the title was ’Inside his head’ and he always saw the staging of it as being a huge head that
opened up. And the story got told inside the huge head. But it was 1949 and that might not have gone
down too well in New York because it was, broadly speaking, a fairly literal form of theatre that existed.
But he was in his own way challenging existing forms in 1949 much more so than he had done with All
my Sons. He was much more engaged with the notion of trying to challenge how theatre was
perceived and how it presented its stories. He was writing a play which was very much about the
condition of a man in the 24 hours up to the point where he commits suicide and the tragedy of that is
that it is only in his last minutes that the love that he and his son share is recognized.
In some ways the play is a love story between a father and a son. It is a play that criticizes the American
Dream or capitalism; it is also a piece which digs away at the nature family and how families work. It is
a play about denial, about how we almost live in a constant state of denial about the true nature of
ourselves.
There is a lot of debate about whether it is a tragedy or not, whether the common man can be the
subject in a tragedy or not. Is it a tragedy for Willy or is it a tragedy for Biff? Miller interestingly said that
in a way all the characters need to think the play is about them, they need to be convinced that it is their
story.
You end up recognizing that the play is about the human condition. And if it is a tragedy, I suppose, the
tragedy is quite simply that you see a man striving to find a dignity, to find a sense of respect for
himself, and the only way he can achieve that is by taking his own life and that could well be a tragedy.
So is it a tragedy or isn’t it? I think I’ll know that at the end of rehearsals!
Damian Cruden
1st October 2008

19

Theatrical techniques
In his attempt to expose the real motives of Willy Loman, Miller resorts to theatrical techniques
that enable us to have a “privileged glimpse into his mind.” (Page 2003:81) In exploring the
internal and external views of Willy’s motives, it is important to look at the theatrical techniques
that Miller employed to expose this.

Naturalism
Naturalism is “a style of writing that aims to reproduce real life exactly on stage.” (Schiach 1995:144) In
trying to replicate life on stage as it really is, naturalistic plays do not use theatrical devices or
conventions, but instead aims to convince the audience that they are looking at an exact representation
of real life on stage.

Death of a Salesman represents a naturalistic form in many ways; for example – Miller uses a style of
language that generally reflects the way in which American people did speak at that time. In addition,
there is a sense of naturalism in the content of the play – Willy is representative of an American man in
this period and the financial struggle Willy endures, the relationships in the family unit and the general
content is very characteristic of individuals both then and now.
However, Death of a Salesman is not entirely naturalistic because if Miller wished to purely represent
real life on stage, we would not have characters drifting through walls meandering from their past to
the present, however he does seem to strive towards a notion of psychological truth in the way in which
our past ultimately affects our future. If Miller had “restricted himself to showing everyday behavior, then
some of the relationships he wanted to expose could never be revealed. This is the reason why Arthur
Miller mixes the changes in time with the entirely realistic sequences, in order to show relationships
which we could not otherwise see.” (Page 2003:83)

Symbolism
Miller uses symbolism where “language or even montage cannot convey meaning accurately or
economically.” (Page 2003:89) Symbolism, in a sense, is a reaction against naturalistic techniques, it
allows a meaning to be conveyed without being to explicit.
In Death of a Salesman Miller uses certain elements in the play which become symbolic, for example:Stockings: The stockings which Linda mends, but Willy gives his lover acquire a symbolic significance.
They acquire double meanings such as emotions of self indulgence and household drudgery.
Stockings, at this time, where highly sought after but hard to obtain, therefore Willy’s gift to his lover
implies a complete lack of regard for his wife.
Hose: The hose acquires a symbolic reference to failure. The hose in Willy’s house is attached to the gas

main and allows him to sniff the gas, an action which confirms Willy’s suicide wish and his desire to
escape the realities of life – such as the loss of his job and his failure to achieve the American Dream. In
many ways, it also symbolises a sense of grief and deception – the grief Linda feels when she finds the
hose, and the deception Willy possesses when he denies its existence to Biff.
20

Tape recorder: This appears to signify change, a change in Willy’s life through the advancement into
modern technology. This highlights the end of Willy’s career. When Howard sacks Willy from him job,
there is a tape recorder in the room, which Howard seems to be more interested playing with than
talking to Willy.
Seeds: Willy feels he must leave something behind for Biff, as his father never did. Willy wants Biff to

succeed so symbolically plants seeds in the garden. This action is doomed to fail as it is evident that no
light will fall on Willy’s garden. This highlights Willy’s persistence to seek reconciliation, but in reality it
being doomed to fail, just like his dreams.
How does Arthur Miller use symbolism in his play as a language to expose the workings of Willy’s
mind?

Expressionism
Expressionism is a theatrical technique which uses the stage to “create a scene symbolic of the
workings of a characters mind.” (Page 2003:81) The main concern with expressionism was the creation
of images of the ‘inner self’ – a concept that was developed by psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud in the
early twentieth century. Employing the expressionist theatrical technique allows the audience to focus
on the psychology of the piece, on the workings inside Willy Loman’s head, rather than just on the
social conditions of the play.
Expressionist devices include the following: •
•
•
•
•

Montage and flashback
It is important the play establishes the convention within which it operates so that the audience is
aware that it is seeing time manipulated in a certain way. In this play we deal with the imaginings of
the protagonist and whenever he lapses into memory and the action is cited in the past, the characters
step out of the conventional ‘fourth wall’ of the conventional set. This is also known as a flashback.
Arthur Miller used flashbacks to create a montage of events. “Montage is the business of juxtaposing
two images which would not normally be found side by side in real life to create a third meaning.”
(Page 2000:83) An example of this is when Willy protests his love for Linda and his family:
Willy: There’s so much I want to make for…
The Woman: Me? You didn’t make me, Willy I picked you
Willy: (Pleased) You picked me? (Miller 2000:29)
The voice of The Woman (Willy’s lover) takes up the dialogue from the past creating a montage effect
with the past and present. We see Willy’s earlier declarations of love and fidelity, alongside his delight
at flattery from him lover. This creates the further effect of hypocrisy and shows how a man can
entertain two conflicting ideas at once.
21

Staging and Set design
The staging of the play is crucial in establishing the effects which Arthur Miller and the director want.
Arthur Miller wished for the staging to be a combination of naturalistic period furniture and props
alongside unnatural dream sequences. He wanted to build an atmosphere that was similar to “a
dream rising out of reality.” (Miller 2000:7)
On the first day of rehearsals, Damian Cruden, the director,
and Dawn Allsopp, the designer, draw the company’s
attention to the model box which is a scaled down version
of the set that the actors will ultimately be performing on.
The inspiration for the set comes from the idea of looking
inside Willy Loman’s mind and seeing the chaos and
fragility of it – the set and his head are in a precarious state
– furniture and bits and pieces of the house are piled up on
top of each other at chaotic angles – the whole thing looks
set to topple over and collapse at any moment. This is a
strong concept for the piece which connects well to the
themes. Arthur Miller originally titled the play The Inside of
His Head and had wanted to utilize a set which would show the inside of Willy’s skull in which he would
be crawling around playing out the scenes inside of himself.
It is a very flexible set allowing for many different
configurations in which to stage the various locations in the
play, but allowing also for areas to be re-used to interesting
and powerful effects. For example, the marital bed is the
same bed used in the hotel room where Willy meets The
Woman. There is a feeling of the set feeling similar to a trap
where Willy must remain, unable to escape, running into
the same characters, the same memories and the same
events over and over again. At the back of the set is an
open road, and at the start of the play Willy must walk
down stage from it, and into the chaos that is waiting.

22

Sound / Musical motifs
When analyzing a live performance, it is important to take into account the sound qualities of the
piece.
It is important that the production of Death of a Salesman also has an aural sense of what is going on
inside Willy’s head. Voices from the past cut into the present with echoes of memories floating around
at different points waiting to land with more solidity in a scene – for example, The Woman’s laughter.
Employing sound and musical motifs can help the audience get a sense of the two different lives that
Willy is leading, inside and outside of his head.
Miller uses music and sound to express the emotions of the characters in the play, there are also many
musical motifs that are sounded, once established, they evoke certain time frames, values and
competing influences in Willy Loman’s mind. A few examples are:
The Flute
Arthur Miller instructs that the flute be played five times in Act 1, the precise melody is not specified, but
the music is integral to the action. We can notice the recurrence of the flute music and we can see how
it signifies to different things and various times. The first time we hear it is at the very beginning of the
play, as it says in the stage directions that "A melody is heard, played upon a flute It is small and fine,
telling of grass and trees and the horizon” (Miller 2000:11) for Willy it conjures up notions of past
references. For example – his father made and sold flutes as a travelling salesman, this reveals
something of Willy’s past desires and dreams and a time when everything seemed possible. This
evokes a mood of sadness, lost dreams and sorrow; it may also symbolize Willy’s futile pursuit of the
American Dream.
Raw and Sensuous vs. A Soft Lullaby
Conflicting desires are highlighted greatly by music, when The Woman appears on stage it is
accompanied by “raw, sensuous music” (Miller 2000:91), this can stir up emotions of sexual desire and
longing. This sensual music is played in stark contrast to Linda Loman’s theme: a soft, gentle lullaby
which fades into a “desperate but monotonous” (Miller 2000:54) hum at the end of Act one.
Good Times
Act Two opens, in a stark contrast to the ending of act one, with music that is “gay and bright” (Miller
2000:55), this is associated with a time when everything was good, before Willy’s betrayal was
realized.

Lighting
The designer, Dawn Allsopp, works very closely with the lighting designer; Richard G Jones in the initial
stages of the designing process in order to complement the elements of the set, the lighting designer
will try to enhance the directorial and design concept by conveying key images or themes from the
textual interpretation. Shifts in lighting register through direct sensory experience the cohering of time,
and is often used to make a smooth transition. Expressionism had done more than any other
movement to develop the expressive powers of stage lighting and without these sensory clues; the
audience may fail to appreciate the desperation of Willy’s state of mind.

What do the stage directions and clues from the text tell you about the lighting design?
As a designer how would you use the set design, sound and lighting to influence the audience’s
perception of tension in the family?
23

An Interview with the Designer
Dawn Allsopp is a Freelance designer who started working at the York Theatre Royal with Damian
Cruden in 2001.
What was your initial designing process for Death of a Salesman?
Initially we met and talked about the play, I had read the script, so we came together and had a chat
about what we were trying to recreate. I then went off and did some more research and then after that
there are pre-organized stages. Initially, we have a white-card meeting, then a final model meeting
followed by a production meeting, which is a presentation. So, at the initial white-card meeting – I bring
along my model box that I have designed; we look at it, analyze it and then play around with it. We
actually did quite a lot of changing at that point – literally cutting things up and moving things around! I
then went away, remodeled and came back for a meeting a couple of weeks later. This process has
been quite exciting and organic.
What research did you have to do before starting this process?
I started by looking at the logic of the kind of house the family might live in. I looked at what area they
might live in, therefore what the floor coverings would be and what the wall coverings might be. It is
nice to do this, even if none of it ends up in the final design – it is useful to root it in something
naturalistic, even if what we wanted to do was create something more expressionistic.
Where did you source this information from?
I mainly used a lot of books, and of course the internet. I looked at paintings by an artist called Hopper
[1882-1967, an American quintessential realist painter] and I looked at what he was painting and
depicting. I found also found a book by a more contemporary photographer, who had taken images in
and around areas of Brooklyn in the 1970’s. Although the date was a little later, you could still see the
old architecture and cross-reference this with photographs. So, you look for photographic and painting
references.
In Miller’s opening stage directions, he says that the stage design should do its best to give the
impression that the events on stage are like a ‘dream.’ How did you try and replicate this?
It is a very precise bit of information that he gives. We worked backwards from that and worked out the
relationship of how things relate to each other and try to restage that in a modern way. We tried to
recreate something that had all the elements of the house about it, but without it being quite literally a
house. Particularly in act two, when we visit a lot of areas that are not in the house, the house doesn’t
become this overbearing metaphor for all those other areas. It also became quiet clear through
discussions with Damian that it is really about the contents of Willy Loman’s mind and all the different
elements should always be there. They should always be there, but sometimes not in as much clear
focus as others, and then other bits of scenery will take on a significant resonance when we get to that
bit in the scene.
What theatrical techniques did you employ to ensure that the audience were aware of the
transitions from past to present?
It will be there in a change of costume. Also, in the early meetings; the lighting designer is also present,
so we chatted about how we will do that at any early stage. The changes will have a different feel
about them, for example: the script tells us that suddenly there are more leaves everywhere and that it
feels less urban (it will be clearer when we get into technical rehearsals), but it will be about lighting,
about pulling certain things into focus and the brickwork that seems so overbearing as if it is leaning in
on their existence will disappear and everything will have a lighter, airier feel. This will also be coupled
with some distinctly different bits of costume.

24

An Interview with Joseph Rye (Biff Loman)
When did you first decide that you wanted to become an actor?
I was on an olive farm in Cyprus and I had been a footballer before then, and then went off the rails
and went travelling, a bit like Biff. There was an old guy with loads of books, one of which I started
reading out loud, and I found it quite emotional. I was in these amazing surroundings and he said to
me ‘What are you going to do with your life?’ and I said ‘I thought I might try acting’. I had no
connection to it, I think I had been to the theatre once and I had been in a school play, but I decided
then to make my way back to England.
How did you get the part of Biff Loman?
My agent tried to get me in on the first round of auditions but I didn’t get seen, partly because my
theatre resumé is not that vast. They knew I had understudied this play 3 years ago in the West End for
6 months, so they called me in. So I remember going in and doing the audition, and I remember
George [Willy Loman] and Damian [Director] sitting there. I had heard a few guys come out and knew
that I still had a chance. I went to an American diner to sit on it and I got the call within 2 hours. I was
absolutely ecstatic, but I was scared too.
Did you build a life for your character Biff outside of the text? Did you do any research to support
this role?
I lived in America for four and a half years and studied the people out there; I always sort of leant
towards a method approach to acting. I’m from a working class background and I had a lot of
experience of life, I had been out in the world. It is really weird how things change, because before I
would have gone and worked on a farm and built up what he likes to have in his wallet – all of that
which I call extraneous stuff. There are similarities between me and Biff that I could draw on
emotionally and I’m trusting now that that is more important in the work for me.
It has been said that Biff represents Willy’s ‘vulnerable, poetic, tragic side’ - what is your view on
that?
Now after getting to know Willy a bit more and who he is to me, I don’t believe that it is the case. I
believe that Willy is his own man of his own generation, and if he was ever poetic in his life – I am not
going to know about it. Willy is a stylish man; he is a salesman who, like an actor, used to thrill us with
his stories when we were kids. The representation of Willy in Biff – I’m never going to see any of that, so
I don’t know.
How is the rehearsal process coming along?
It is amazing what happens in rehearsals – it is playtime! But in myself, I am a lazy person and just
want to get up there and do it! I was in the rehearsal room at 9 this morning, they are really long days.
Even on my lunch break, I’m still working on the play. I knew when I first started I needed to prepare, I
started to get a bit fitter and I stopped some of my vices! I am just now starting to realize how valuable
the rehearsals are. Every day is going to be tiring on this but ultimately when that play is done, the
people will come to see a great play and hopefully we will make it a good evening for them.
Is there any advice you would give young people who are thinking about going into acting?
You just have to make sure that you are absolutely passionate about it; it’s not about making money.
But I do look at it as a crossing, a way of testing yourself. Acting gets better as you get older because
you don’t need it as much. Younger actors want to prove themselves but when they get past a certain
age they start to realize that life is too short to worry about that stuff. It also gives you an amazing
education, my scope now is getting vast and I’m tuning into so many different things. Be it history,
religion - it makes you study. And if you have got talent, it is going to come out somewhere. You have
got to let it out!
25

Workshop Plans
Over the next few pages are three workshop plans, one of which is a pre-performance workshop plan
which does not need for the participants to have read or seen the play, but does introduce them to the
characters and the context in which the action takes place. Following that are two post-performance
workshop plans intended to be untaken after seeing the performance.
The workshops are drama based, practical workshops, which are intended to be fun and interactive
approaches towards a greater understanding of the play. The key themes covered can be strongly
related to issues within citizenship, english and drama and it is hoped that the cross-curricular link
could also encompass history in relation to the Wall Street crash and The American Dream.

Pre-Show Workshop
An introduction to the characters and themes in Death of a Salesman for use as a starting point for
work on the play.
1. Family Photos
a) The group is split into groups of 5 or 6, and is asked to create a series of freeze frames
or photographs for the following: A Family; a Family of Intellectuals; a Family of
Athletes; a Family of Superheroes; the Smelly-but-loving Family; The Clown Family; a
Family at War; a Family with Secrets. Each time the facilitator counts down from 10 and
then says freeze.
b) A quick look is taken at each snapshot.
2. Spotlight on Family Conflict
a) The group are split into 3’s and 4’s and asked to think about what causes conflict in a
family. They are asked to improvise a scene where a conflict is happening.
b) The facilitator calls out “spotlight on…” and points to a group – the rest of the group
freezes and watches the group who has the spotlight on them continue their
improvisation.
c) The facilitator moves the spotlight, thus moving the focus so that some or all of the
groups have a chance to share their scene.
d) At the end discussion is opened up as to the typical areas of conflict that arise in
families, and related back to the story of Death of a Salesman.
3. Introducing the world of the Play
a) Players are chosen one at a time to read key facts describing characters from the play
(Appendix 1) The audience makes choices about where and how the characters are
placed in the space in order to create a 3D picture of the world of the play.
b) Players are asked to describe the dominant relationships or themes that they see
expressed in the picture. E.g. Who has power over who? Who shares a secret? Who
loves who?

26

c) The facilitator uses coloured threads to connect the themes and characters. Each
theme is represented by a different colour of thread, e.g. blue for power, green for
secret, red for love.
d) Alternatively, the facilitator picks a character, e.g. Biff, and removes theme from the
picture. The participant playing Biff is asked whether this is how he sees the world? The
participant then re-shapes the picture according to Biff’s viewpoint, e.g. perhaps Linda
is portrayed as very naïve or as a long-suffering saint, whereas Willy is seen as
womanising low-life fake. Another character is chosen, e.g. The Woman, and the
picture is re-shaped again.
4. Improvisation Exercise: Dinner with the Lomans
a) Participants are split into groups of 4, each person takes on one of the four family
members: Dad, Mum, Biff, Happy.
b) An important part of the storyline is given: the Dad, Willy, has done something wrong
that would tear the family apart, but has concealed it from them. Now the elder
brother, Biff, has found out the truth.
c) The groups improvise a scene over dinner informed by the following:
Dad comes home to tell the family some good news relating to work.
Mum wants everyone to get along, be happy and respect each other
Biff knows a secret about Dad, but mustn’t reveal it to the rest of the family
Happy doesn’t want family problems to interfere with his own ambitions.
d) The scenes are shown, and discussion opened up as to what happens when there
are secrets in a family? What happens when truth is suppressed? Why does Biff not
reveal what he knows? How does the secret impact on the whole family, even those
who don’t know there is a secret?
5. Past vs. Present
a) Participants split back into the groups they were in for the spotlight on family conflict
exercise. They re-cap on the work created then.
b) The participants are then asked to go back in time to a younger, happier, more hopeful
time when the family were living harmoniously together. What makes for happy families?
The groups improvise a scene around a perfect day for this family at some point in the
past.
c) The facilitator spotlights a couple of groups.
d) The groups are then asked to return to their conflict improvisation, but that on the
command “Change!” they are to snap into their perfect day scene, and then to snap
back out again when they hear the command again.
e) The facilitator shortens the gap between the changes over the course of the exercise,
and then asks the participants how it felt to do that. Discussion is opened up around
how glimpses of better times affect the dynamic of the conflict, and the disorientating
effect of swapping between the two. Links are made to the structure of Death of a
Salesman and how the flashbacks impact on the present and on Willy’s increasingly
disturbed state of mind.

27

Post – Performance Workshop 1
A workshop to recap, gauge and consolidate the participants learning of Death of a Salesman
1. Image Work
a. In pairs, construct a still image (a freeze frame) of the following scenarios:•
•
•

There is something wrong happening in secret
The discovery of this secret
The resolution

b. Thought Track: Allow the participants to show their images and discuss what may be
happening in each of the freeze-frame. Ask open ended questions, such as:
•
•
•

Who is this character?
What do you think the secret is?
How have they resolved the situation?

c. Tap a selection of the participants on the shoulder whilst in their freeze-frame and
encourage them to say one line in role as their character in the freeze-frame by asking
questions such as:
•
•
•
•

What are you thinking?
How does keeping this secret make you feel?
What is expected of you in this scene? (for example, to keep the peace and keep
quiet)
Is this a satisfactory resolution for you?

2. Expectations / Identity
a. Discussion: Look to the play and how Willy has very high expectations of his sons,
especially, Biff. In the past, we see how Biff was a sporting hero and had chances of
scholarships; where now, it seems that Biff doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life,
which deeply angers Willy.
b. Encourage the participants to think about their ambitions, what is their dream?
c. Sculpting Exercise: In pairs participants label themselves A and B. ‘A’s are told to ask
their partner what their aspiration for the future is, what do they want to do for a living?
What do they want to be? What do they want out of life? ‘A’s then sculpt ‘B’s into a figure
that represents those aspirations? ‘B’s are told to stay frozen, whilst ‘A’s are encouraged
to take a walk around the gallery of dreams.
d. Discussion: Are there any common themes being displayed? Pick a selection and
question the class on what is being represented. The answers do not have to match
exactly what the sculptor intended.
e. ‘A’s return to their partner, and ‘B’s are asked to sculpt them into a figure that represents
what their parental figure expects of them? What is s/he’s expectation of you? Repeat as
before and then discuss any common themes.

28

f. ‘B’s return to their partner and each pair in turn are asked to recreate their statues. Are
the images drastically different? Are they similar? If they are very different how are the two
expectations going to be reconciled?
g. Discussion: Willy’s obsession with the American Dream, question the participants on
what they think the American Dream is? Why the American Dream was so appealing and
what were the obstacles of achieving it. In Willy’s eyes, Ben had reached the American
Dream and was the epitome of all Willy desired. In Willy’s eyes, Ben is self-assured, rich,
and adventurous. Ben is everything that Willy wishes him and his boys to be.
3. Past / Present Structure
a. Discussion: Discuss the way in which Arthur Miller uses flash-backs from the past to
illustrate past desires and to also highlight Willy’s state of mind, when he starts confusing
the past with the present.
b. Divide the class into 2 groups, labeling one half the ‘past’ and the other ‘present.’ Divide
the two groups in half again labeling them Act 1 or Act 2. Give each group copies of the
appropriate storyline. (Appendix 2)
c. Acting exercise: Each group is asked to bring their section of the storyline to life using
everyone in their group. They may simply present the piece by standing in a semi-circle
with one or more narrators at either end. Narrators tell the story according to the storyline,
and the other players take on different roles and act out the story as it is told, stepping out
of the line and into the centre of the semi-circle during their scene, and stepping back at
the end of it. Players may add sound effects, lines of text/improvised lines as they wish.
d. The groups rehearse and then take it in turns to perform their scenes to the rest of the
group, in chronological order, from past to present.
e. Discussion: Discuss with the whole group the impact the play has when you are
watching it in this way. Question the group why they think Miller did not structure the
piece in this way and discuss how interweaving the past with the present increases
curiosity, highlighting Willy’s state of mind and confusion, rather than it all being laid out
chronologically in front of you.

29

Post – Performance Workshop 2
An exploration of objectives and subtext within Death of a Salesman
1.Attitudes and Actions
Three volunteers are asked to stand up in front of the group and hold on to the hem of
their trousers in one hand, and a lock of their hair in the other. They will most likely fall
over or find it difficult to balance. They are then asked to do the exercise again this time
they must compare the difference in texture between their trousers and their hair.
Those watching are asked to notice the difference in the first and second way of
playing. This is an ideal game for experiencing the difference between playing an
attitude and playing an intention.
2.Railway Station
Improvisation with given circumstances and an objective. Players are asked to imagine
they are on a railway concourse and are looking for their friend, they arranged to meet
at 7pm and it is now that time. Information is fed in at intervals with updates of the time
moving on: they have tickets for a show that starts at 7.30pm/ they are romantically
interested in their friend / they have skipped school that afternoon to get ready for their
big date, and suddenly see their form tutor walking across the station/ it is now too late
to get to the theatre in time for the show/ the friend finally shows up. The range of
emotions produced is discussed. This shows how playing the given circumstance and
a simple objective produce emotion.
3.You, Me, Yes, No, Maybe
In pairs, players are asked to have a conversation, but only use the words You, Me.
This is then extended to Yes, No, and then finally, Maybe. How did the players
communicate with each other? How did they make themselves understood? The
importance of body language and tone of voice are discussed as being the primary
signifiers in communicating meaning, we do not need appropriate words to
demonstrate meaning.
4.Eating Breakfast
Three players create an improvisation as three people who share a house together. It
is breakfast time and the players can only speak about breakfast. The same scene is
played again, but one player is privately given the objective: ‘I want to tell you I love
you. This shows how language is shaped to suit the objective.
Using Physical Metaphor to Explore Scene Structure and Dynamics
5. Scene Study exercise: The Chop House

In groups of 3, players take on the roles of Willy, Biff and Happy working from an edited
version of the chop house scene (Appendix 3) Using a circle of about twelve chairs,
each player places themselves on a chair within the circle that reflects where they feel
their character is in relation to the others at the start of the scene. They play the scene
with the following rules: Willy and Happy can move at any point in the scene and may
move around as many chairs as are available but they must always remain seated
and in contact with each chair as they move – they can not cross the circle to a different
chair, but must always move to an adjacent one. Biff may also move whenever he likes
and must stay in contact with the chairs but only as long as he is telling the truth,
when he lies he is free to move across the circle to a different chair.
30

The same scene is now played around a table with a pack of playing cards. Each time
Biff tries to make contact and get through to Willy, he offers him a playing card. What
does Willy do with each of these? Once the cards are â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;played,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; any character may use
them in whatever way they choose.
6. Playing the Subtext
Now re-run this scene, but instead of saying the lines that appear on the page,
speak the subtext. I.e. what do the characters want to say? What are they feeling?

31

Appendix 1
Key character facts
WILLY LOMAN








Is a salesman in his sixties, married to Linda and has 2 sons
Likes to tell stories
Lives in New York, but works in New England
Has had accidents whilst driving recently
Talks to himself
Has worked for the same firm for 36 years, but has recently had his salary taken away and
now works on commission
Keeps secrets from his family

LINDA







Married to Willy
Tells him he’s the handsomest man in the world
In her late fifties
Mends her own stockings to save money
Knows that Willy borrows money each week and pretends it is his wages but doesn’t let on
Has found a length of rubber pipe hidden in the cellar by the gas tap, but hasn’t moved it
or talked about it to Willy

BIFF








Is 34, eldest son of Willy and Linda
Well built and handsome
Has had many different jobs since leaving home
Failed Math at high school and never went to University
Found out about his father’s affairs when he was just a teenager
Has been to prison
Keeps secrets from his family

HAPPY






Is tall and powerfully made
Is single and dates lots of different women, particularly those engaged to be married to
somebody else
Lives on his own and has his own car
Says he dreams of settling down with a nice, steady girl with character
Works in a junior position in business

BERNARD


Was at school with Biff and Happy
32






Would get the best marks in school and would give Biff the answers
Wears glasses and is a small build
Was often laughed at by the Lomans when he was young
Is now a lawyer about to argue a case at the supreme court

CHARLEY






Old friend of Willy’s
Has one son, Bernard
Runs his own company
Regularly lends Willy money
Regularly offers Willy a job that would mean he could stay in New York, but is always
turned down by him

THE WOMAN





Is a receptionist
Lives in Boston
Has an affair with Willy because he makes her laugh
Is given silk stockings by Willy

UNCLE BEN





Willy’s older brother
Went to Alaska with nothing but the clothes on his back
Ended up in Africa mining for diamonds and made it rich by the age of 21
Has recently died

HOWARD WAGNER






Is Willy Loman’s boss
Is 36 and now runs the firm inherited from his father
Willy has known him since the day he was born
Has 2 children
Doesn’t want Willy to represent the firm anymore

33

Appendix 2
Death of a Salesman - Past Time Narrative
(c. 1928)
Act 1
1. Biff and Happy are busy cleaning and polishing the red Chevvy, Willie is giving them advice on how to
clean it properly and discussing dating girls. When they've finished cleaning, Willy gives the boys a
present he has brought home - a punching bag signed by Gene Tunney, and they all excitedly plan a
trip to New England in the summer where Willy is a big, important, successful man. Biff promises Willy
that he is going to go for a touchdown in the big game coming up - just for him. Willy is very proud.
2. Bernard comes along with dire warnings that if Biff doesn't study he will flunk Maths, despite him
having scholarships to 3 universities. Willy tells the boys not to worry, that being well-built, attractive and
likeable is a much more important key to success in business than having good marks. He gives
himself as an example - he never has to wait in line, but gets straight through to the buyers.
3. Linda comes out with a basket of washing, the boys run off to hang it up for her. She asks Willy if he
has sold much that week, he claims to have sold thousands, but quickly reduces this figure more and
more truthfully as Linda starts calculating what the commission will be. Willy worries that he is not
selling enough because he is fat and ugly, and that people don't take him seriously, calling him "the
Walrus" behind his back. Linda says he is the most handsome man in the world and idolised by his
sons.
4. Willy goes to the Woman he is having an affair with in Boston. She says that she picked him because
of his sense of humour, and because he's so sweet, and promises to let him straight through to the
buyers. Willy gives her some silk stockings and goes home to Linda. She is mending her stockings and
Willy gets very angry and tells her not to. Linda and Bernard start pressing their concerns about Biff - he
keeps stealing things, he's driving without a license, he's too rough with girls, he's going to flunk maths.
Willy angrily dismisses their fears - there's nothing wrong with Biff.
5. Willy's long lost brother, Ben, turns up, having made a fortune in diamond mines in Africa. He meets
Linda and the boys, Willy asks him about their father, who he does not remember that well, and Ben
tells wonderful stories. Willy shows off by sending Biff and Happy off to steal sand so they can rebuild
part of the house. Bernard comes running in to tell them that the watchman is chasing Biff for stealing
the sand, and Linda goes off to sort it out.
6. Ben has to leave, but says he will return on his way back to Africa. Willy tries to get him to stay, and
asks if Ben thinks he is raising his sons in the right way. Ben encourages him that they are outstanding,
manly chaps, and as he departs, says that he should teach them to get rich, like him.

34

Death of a Salesman - Past Time Narrative
Act 2
1. Ben returns to see Willy on his way back to Africa, he offers him a job working for him on his new
timberland business in Alaska. Willy is really excited, but Linda doesn't want to go and says they have
enough here. Willy agrees, saying that he has a secure job in selling, and that he is building something
with the firm. Ben departs saying he could get rich in Alaska.
2. Bernard comes rushing in, all excited about the all important ball game at Ebbets Field that Biff is
about to play. The family get ready to leave for the game, Bernard and Happy argue over who gets to
carry Biff's helmet and shoulder pads, as both want to get into the clubhouse and be seen with Biff. Biff
decides that they can each carry something, and reminds Willy that when he goes for the touchdown, it
will be for him.
3. Charley, Bernard's dad comes in, Willy says there is no room in the car for him to come too. Charley
pretends he doesn't know what he is talking about, and Willy angrily tells him that it is the greatest day
in Biff's life. Charley wishes Biff good luck, but asks Willy when he is going to grow up - Willy is so
insulted he tries to fight Charley, but Charley just walks away laughing.
4. Biff is a great success at the ballgame, but only a short time later Bernard brings the news to Linda
that Biff has flunked maths, so he can't graduate and go to university. Linda is very upset and asks
where Biff is. Bernard says that he went to the station and they guess that Biff has gone to see Willy in
Boston. Linda is relieved as she thinks that Willy may be able to fix the situation by talking to the teacher.
5. Biff turns up at Willy's hotel in Boston, but Willy doesn't answer the door. Inside the room, Willy is with
the Woman, kissing and drinking, she is just in her underwear. She keeps telling him to answer the
door, so eventually he hides her in the bathroom, and opens the door to Biff. He tells Willy that he has
flunked maths, Willy tells him not to worry and that they will go straight home now, and he will talk to
the teacher and get him to change the marks.
6. They prepare to leave, Biff tells Willy that the maths teacher just doesn't like him because he caught
him one day doing a humorous impersonation of him. He demonstrates and the Woman appears out
of the bathroom laughing. Willy tries to explain her away and gets rid of her, after giving her the silk
stockings she demands. But Biff is devastated. He starts crying, calls Willy a fake and a liar, refuses his
help with the maths teacher, saying that he won't listen to him, and runs out.

35

Death of a Salesman - Present Day Narrative
(17 years later)
Act 1
1. Willy arrives home unexpectedly one night, absolutely exhausted. He tells his wife Linda that he kept
losing his concentration and that the car had kept going off the road. She tells him to tell his boss,
Howard, that he needs a job transfer to New York so that he doesn't have to travel all the time, after all
he has put 34 years into that company. Willy reminisces about how the world has changed, and
moans about his son Biff, who he thinks is a lazy bum.
2. Willy's sons, Biff and Happy, who are home on a visit, wake up and start talking and smoking. Happy
tells Biff that Willy has started talking to himself a lot. Biff considers all the different jobs he has had since
high school and feels that he has wasted his life. Happy confides that he is not content, and that he is a
womaniser, and can't seem to stop it, but is determined to make it in life, and get some respect. Biff
decides he is going to see an old business contact, Bill Oliver, to see if he will give him the financial
backing to buy his own ranch.
3. Willy reminisces about the old red Chevvy he used to own in 1928, then goes down to the kitchen for
a snack and the boys hear him starting to talk loudly to himself, they feel embarrassed and angry.
Happy goes down to shut him up, Willy gets angry and says that he regrets not going to Alaska with his
brother Ben when he had the chance, (where he might have got rich) as his sons are no help to him in
his old age.
4. The arguing wakes up next door neighbour, Charley, who comes in and plays cards with Willy,
Happy goes back to bed. Charley offers Willy a job, Willy refuses and complains about what a failure
Biff is, and how he has nothing to give him. Charley tells him to let Biff go, he won't starve, they argue a
bit, and then Willy tells Charley that his brother Ben died recently. Willy starts talking nonsense about
people dying, Charley asks him what he is going on about, they argue over the card game and Charley
leaves.
5. Linda comes down, Willy asked her what happened to the diamond fob watch his brother Ben gave
him, she says he sold it to pay for Biff's radio correspondence course. She tries to get Willy to come to
bed, but he goes out for a walk instead. Biff and Happy come down and Linda tells them that Willy is
now only paid on commission, is over worked, exhausted, keeps borrowing money from Charley and
pretending its his wages, and has been trying to kill himself. She becomes angry with the boys, says
they do nothing to help and don't care, and asks Biff why he has to be so hateful to Willy all the time.
6. Willy comes back and starts having a go at Biff for being a lazy bum. Biff tells him that he is going to
see Bill Oliver the next day, to get him set up in business, Happy suggests that they go into business
together - the Loman brothers! - and sell sporting goods. Willy gets very excited and gives them lots of
advice, they all go to bed in high spirits, Willy remembering how great Biff had been as a young man almost god-like.

36

Death of a Salesman - Present Day Narrative
Act 2
1. Willy wakes up late in the morning, has breakfast with Linda who tells him that the boys have already
left and that Biff had gone to see Bill Oliver about the business proposition. She tells him that his sons
want to take him out for dinner that night, Willy is very excited and talks hopefully about the future. At
Linda's request, he agrees to talk to his boss, Howard, that morning to arrange a job transfer to New
York, so that he does not have to wear himself out travelling any more.
2. Willy goes to see Howard, but he says that there are no job vacancies in New York. Willy becomes
angry and reminds him of all the years he has put in to the company, and how he could have gone to
Alaska with his brother Ben, but didn't because of his commitment to selling, and how he had helped
Howard's father name him when he had been born. But Howard is not interested, and says he can't
help. Willy becomes very upset and disturbed, so Howard sacks him, saying he needs a good long
rest, and leaves him in the office for a few minutes to pull himself together.
3. Willy goes to see Charley at his office and bumps into his son Bernard, now a very successful lawyer,
back for a visit. Willy asks Bernard what he thinks went wrong with Biff, Bernard says that after Biff had
flunked Maths at high school he had been ready to make it back up in summer school, but that after he
had been to visit Willy in Boston, he had come back and seemed to give up on his life. Bernard asks
Willy what happened, but Willy becomes angry and defensive. Charley comes in and gives Willy the
money he needs, and again offers him a job which he refuses.
4. Willy meets the boys at the restaurant, Happy starts trying to pick up two women, Biff tries to tell his
Dad that the meeting with Oliver failed, because he is such a failure and has been living a lie, but Willy
won't listen and tells him he wants to hear good news because he has just been sacked. Willy gets
more and more worked up at Biff, saying he only fails in life to spite him, and it is all because he flunked
maths. He then becomes confused and goes out to find the bathroom. Biff and Happy leave him there
and go off with the women.
5. Willy goes home, buying seeds on the way, and begins planting them in the back garden. The boys
arrive home, Linda is furious with them for the way they have treated Willy, they offer her flowers but
she knocks them to the floor. She tells Biff to leave and not come home ever again. Biff agrees, goes to
say good-bye to Willy, but ends up having a huge confrontation with him. Biff tells Willy he doesn't want
to go into business it's not what makes him happy, he is just a nothing, a failure, and he ends up crying
at Willy's feet, asking him to let him and his crazy dreams go, once and for all.
6. The family go wearily to bed, Willy is left convinced that Biff's actions mean that he really does love
him after all, and that Biff could still be a success with his help, and decides that he will give him the
only thing he has left. Willy drives off into the night and kills himself, leaving Biff to collect the twenty
thousand dollars insurance money.

37

Appendix 3
HAPPY: Hello, Scout!
WILLY: Gee, I haven’t been here in years!
BIFF: Sit down, Pop. You want a drink?
WILLY: Sure, I don’t mind.
BIFF: Let’s get a load on.
WILLY: You look worried
BIFF: N-no
WILLY: Well, what happened, boy? [Nodding affirmatively, with a smile] Everything go alright?
BIFF: [Takes a breath, then reaches out and grasps Willy’s hand]: Pal… [He is smiling bravely, and Willy
is smiling too.] I had an experience today.
HAPPY: Terrific, Pop
WILLY: That so? What happened?
BIFF [high, slightly alcoholic, above the earth]: I’m going to tell you everything from first to last. It’s been
a strange day. [Silence. He look s around, composes himself as best he can, but his breath keeps
breaking the rhythm of his voice.] I had to wait quiet a while for him, and –
WILLY: Oliver?
BIFF: Yeah, Oliver. All day, as a matter of cold fact. And a lot of – instances – facts, Pop, facts about my
life came back to me. Who was it Pop? Who ever said I was a salesman with Oliver?
WILLY: Well, you were.
BIFF: No, Dad, I was a shipping Clerk.
WILLY: But you were practically –
BIFF [with determination]: Dad, I don’t know who said it first, but I was never a salesman with Oliver?
WILLY: What’re you talking about?
BIFF: Let’s hold on to the facts tonight, Pop. We’re not going to get anywhere bullin’ around. I was a
shipping clerk.
WILLY [angrily]: All right, now listen to me –
BIFF: Why don’t you let me finish?
WILLY: I’m not interested in stories about the past or any crap of that kind because the woods are
burning, boys, you understand? There’s a big blaze going on all around. I was fired today.
BIFF [shocked]: How could you be?
WILLY: I was fired, and I’m looking for a little good news to tell your mother, because the woman has
waited and the woman has suffered. The gist of it is that I haven’t got a story left in my head, Biff. So
don’t give me a lecture about facts and aspects. I am not interested. Now what’ve you got to say to me?
[…] Did you see Oliver?
BIFF: Jesus, Dad!
WILLY: You mean you didn’t go up there?
HAPPY: Sure he went up there
BIFF: I did. I – saw him. How could they fire you?
WILLY [on the edge of his chair]: What kind of a welcome did he give you?
BIFF: He won’t even let you work on commission?
WILLY: I’m out! [Driving] So tell me, he gave you a warm welcome?
HAPPY: Sure, Pop, sure!
BIFF [driven]: Well, it was kind of –
WILLY: I was wondering if he’d remember you. [To Happy] Imagine, man doesn’t see him for ten,
twelve years and gives that kind of welcome!
HAPPY: Damn right!
BIFF [Trying to return to the offensive]: Pop, look –
WILLY: You know why he remembered you, don’t you? Because you impressed him in those days.
38

BIFF: Let’s talk quietly and get this down to the facts, huh?
WILLY [as though Biff had been interrupting]: Well, what happened? It’s great news, Biff. Did he take
you into his office or’d you talk in the waiting room?
BIFF: Well, he came in, see, and –
WILLY [with a bid smile]: What’d he say? Betcha he threw his arm around you.
BIFF: Well, he kinda –
WILLY: He’s a fine man. [To Happy] Very hard man to see, y’know.
HAPPY [agreeing]: Oh, I know.
WILLY [to Biff]: Is that where you had the drinks?
BIFF: Yeah, he gave me a couple of – no, no!
HAPPY [cutting in]: He told him my Florida idea.
WILLY: Don’t interrupt. [To Biff] How’d he react to the Florida idea?
BIFF: Dad, will you give a minute to explain?
WILLY: I’ve been waiting for you to explain since I sat down here! What happened? He took you into his
office and what?
BIFF: Well – I talked. And – and he listened, see.
WILLY: Famous for the way he listens, y’know. What was his answer?
BIFF: His answer was – [he breaks off suddenly angry] Dad, you’re not letting me tell you what I want to
tell you!
WILLY [accusing, angered] : You didn’t see him, did you?
BIFF: I did see him!
WILLY: What’d you insult him or something? You insulted him, didn’t you?
BIFF: Listen, will you let me out of it, will you just let me out of it!
HAPPY: What the hell!
WILLY: Tell me what happened!
BIFF [to Happy] I can’t talk to him!